Releasing over 300 new films annually, Gravitas Ventures has become one of the largest all rights distributors in the world. Some of their latest movies include The Present starring Greg Kinnear, Bad Behaviour starring Jennifer Connelly and Chasing Raine directed by Quinanthony & Lee Bateman. Another title worth paying attention to is Chris Lawing’s Penitentia.
Starring The Walking Dead’s Glenn Stanton, the film follows Alejandro ‘Ale’ Villacano, a young associate lawyer who has landed a job at the prestigious law firm, Keefe Briar. As a former convict and an acquitted felon, he is an unlikely pick for the firm. Intent on forgetting his past and forging a new identity, Ale dedicates himself to being the top associate at the firm. Thus, he is reluctant to help an old friend in trouble. Only at the prodding of his mentor does Ale take the pro-bono case. For him, it’s filing a few grievances against a local prison and then back to his new life. But for his client, it’s a matter of life and death. No matter how much Ale tries to resist, the pull to do the right thing, to fight the good fight is too strong. Ensnared in a case of corruption, power and abuse, Ale must decide what kind of lawyer he is really meant to be.
Filmmaker Chris Lawing served as Penitentia’s writer, director, producer and editor. We spoke with him below about the making of the film. Watch Penitentia on VOD here.
Where did the idea for Penitentia come from?
My father had died a year and a half prior to me writing this story, but because of Covid, we hadn’t done his funeral yet. I was driving back to Kansas to do the funeral and I knew that I didn’t want to get up and speak. Just because I didn’t want to fall apart in front of a bunch of people. I came up with ways to honor him and what he stood for. He was a civil rights attorney for 50 years in Wichita, Kansa. So, I came up with this story because he was really passionate about prisoner rights, as well as other civil rights. I started to think that I could make a story that really honored his memory and what he really cared about. On the drive, I started to craft this narrative of an older mentor working with a younger attorney and the younger attorney figures out what law he wants to practice.
Can you talk about the casting process. A lot of people know your lead, Glenn Stanton from The Walking Dead. What stood out to you about him for this role?
I had worked with the actress by the name of Natasha Coppola-Shalom on a short film I had made a couple years prior, so when I started talking to her about Penitentia, I knew I had a role I wanted her to play. We started talking about who else could come in and work on the film and Natasha wanted to help cast it. She really acted as another casting director. Glenn was a friend of a friend, so she sent me some of his work from The Walking Dead. I knew he had a great presence and was well-trained, so I was excited to cast him in the film.
What do you hope audiences walk away saying after they see this film?
What I am interested in is that people start thinking of the downsides to the American prison system and some of the inherit racism that drives it. As well as the biases that we have as people and don’t really analyze and think about them and how they still control the way we interact with people.
Did you get any inspiration from other films for Penitentia?
Not really. I did have one film in my mind, that I was a fan of in terms of legal crime drama, that was Michael Clayton. I don’t think I watched it for specific inspiration, I just wanted my story to be rooted in a realistic environment and I thought Michael Clayton did a very good job of this and yet at the same time, kept the narrative moving and the stakes high. If I could think of an analog that I wanted to hew close to, that would be one of the films.
Do you have a favorite scene?
Yes, it’s the final confrontation scene. It is extremely personal and genuine. I won’t say what it is because that just gives the film away, but for me it speaks volumes to all the challenges that the characters have.
What movies made the biggest impact on you growing up?
I would say the three films that topped my list growing up were Chinatown, Apocalypse Now and The Godfather. I grew up watching 70s cinema, so those are three that even to this day, I will not turn the channel if they are on.
Is there another type of film you would like to direct next?
I am working on my next project already with Mercury Films, Greg’s Going to Rehab. It’s a 1980s coming-of-age comedy/drama featuring Cameron Mann (Mare of Easttown, Eddington), Saylor Bell Curda (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Walker) and Jack Falahee (How to Get Away with Murder, Mercy Street), with Dot-Marie Jones (Bros, Glee) and Jim Beaver (Deadwood, Supernatural). In the film, Greg Walker is a sixteen-year-old metalhead on a mission to see the concert of a lifetime – Ozzy/Metallica. But his failing grades, disappointed parents, excessive partying, and an angry senior could derail that plan. The solution? A quick stint in rehab so he can dodge the senior, get his parents off his back and get out in time for the show.
Is there someone you would like to collaborate with that you haven’t gotten a chance to yet?
That list is way too long. There are so many great actors out there, that I could rattle off dozens and dozens of names. One of the fantastic things about filmmaking is the level of talent out there. Even if there is someone I would like to work with or envision working with, I am going to be lucky and meet people that I could never have imagined working with or maybe have never even heard of. That is the thing about filmmaking, you are meeting new people and collaborating with new people all the time, which is fantastic.
Many thanks to Chris Lawing for taking the time for this interview.
